VOIR COUTURE

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DICTATORS OF HIGH FASHION

"Paris says Drop It!" -- the headline of the most recent issue of W.

Surprised? Hemlines for fall are midcalf. As usual, the fashion industry gave us mini's two years, just long enough to convince us to shorten a few skirts. Now we are back to midcalf. Almost feels like a conspiracy to force us to buy new clothing to appear current.

"News" also is bold color, plaids, bold combinations of bold colors.

Translation? What we are seeing is the climax of designer development. "We have become world businessmen," says Oscar de la Renta. "In the old days, fashion designers -- seamstresses, really -- made and sold only dresses; today we sell a life-style to the whole world." In buying seriously from a major designer, you buy not only clothes but a piece of the society in which they are meant to be worn.

Stores have consolidated into conglomerates with megadollars. And as conglomerates, they have lost identity and individuality. There are not enough top designers to go around, so all the stores have the same designers. Stores want reliable clothes twice a year from people they already know, things they can promote and be sure of selling. Go into any major shopping mall and look at the main stores. If you were simply "dropped" into the dress department of one of them, would you know which one you were in? Neiman-Marcus looks like Lord & Taylor looks like Macy's looks like ...

Says Geraldine Stutz, former top buyer for Bendel's in New York, "My evidence that this is a very bad thing is the bigger and bigger quantities of the same merchandise in the stores. It's like the oil biz. And women have been offered the same merchandise everywhere, and they have been waiting for the sales. That is the terrible increasing trend: merchandise marked down almost as soon as it comes into the stores. As the economics of name building, name preservation, name promotion has gotten more and more expensive, the actual clothes have gotten less and less important to these fashion directors and buyers. What is means is a tougher and tougher sell."

The store buyers' annual timetable takes them to the same major places as fashion editors, but with additional local stops in between.

Late January-early February -- couture collections in Rome and Paris for inspiration and directional trends

March -- ready-to-wear collections in Milan, London, Paris

April -- ready-to-wear collections in New York, with sometimes a German market in between

May -- purchasing of the United States autumn collections and organizing the store's winter catalog

July -- couture collections in Rome and Paris

August -- special American resort collections and Italian cruisewear collections on the West Coast

October -- ready-to-wear collections in Milan, London, Paris; ready-to-wear collections in New York, with sometimes a German or a Spanish market in between

November -- purchasing of the united States spring collections and organizing the summer catalog.

And so it goes, over and over again. "Insiders" such as W report trends for the industry, which may not be seen in the stores and local newspapers until the following season. Local newspapers report trends for their advertisers, the local stores, reporting on the merchandise already in the stores.

Quality is important. I have two prices, for basic and couture; and one quality, excellent. The fit is the same, the design may or not be the same. The mark of couture clothing is that the inside of the dress should be as well finished as the outside. Says designer Galanos, "The feel of the gown should be as luxurious as the look." And, "Quality in fashion," says Valentino, "is determined by workmanship, beautiful fabrics, the finishing and details." "Quality," says Ungaro, "is the alchemy struck between a woman and her clothes, her attitude and her allure."

For further reference and reading, I suggest THE FASHION CONSPIRACY by Nicholas Coleridge.

Voir Couture is the recognition and confirmation of each Judith, Couturiere client. You are confident and distinctive, value tradition, and demand quality and individuality. Voir celebrates your uniqueness!